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Tierney takes crash course in Billerica

By Evan Lips, elips@lowellsun.com

Updated:
01/29/2013 01:17:38 PM EST

BILLERICA - The Democrat from Salem walked through the doors of the brandnew Parker Elementary School for the first time Monday and wondered what his own life would have been like if classes involved iPads and interactive whiteboards instead of wooden rulers and fat pink erasers.

U.S. Rep. John Tierney visits the Parker School in Billerica on Monday, where second-grader Jessica Patti explains how she imports photos to her iPad. The Salem Democrat was making the rounds all day in Billerica, which was added to his congressional district. SUN/DAVID H. BROW

"It's incredible," he said, as he was greeted by Principal Russell Marino and Superintendent of Schools Tim Piwowar.

U.S. Rep. John Tierney, a few months after his razor-thin re-election victory over Republican challenger Richard Tisei, spent the afternoon and part of the night getting to know a town that only recently became part of his congressional district.

Tierney had swung by the Billerica Council on Aging earlier. He would later attended both the School Committee and Board of Selectmen meetings. Following his elementary-school visit, Tierney met with Town Manager John Curran.

"The good news is they didn't disturb the former district," Tierney said about the redistricting process that reduced the number of congressional representation from 10 seats to nine.

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"They just added three communities."

That would be Billerica, Tewksbury and parts of Andover, but redistricting was likely the last thing on Tierney's mind as he strolled into Caroline Bushnell's fifth-grade class. All eyes were on the congressman as he walked between rows of little chairs and desks.

Student Jordan Orsborn showed Tierney what a "fotobabble" on his iPad looked like, a program that is essentially an app that adds voices to photos. Jordan's was a photo of the U.S.

Parker School fifth-grader Jordan Orsborn shows U.S. Rep John Tierney how he works with an iPad, while classmate Liam Kelley looks on. SUN PHOTOS/DAVID H. BROW

Capitol, combined with his voice saying, "Welcome to Washington, D.C."

Jordan's peers were curious about how Tierney arrived at the school.

"Did you arrive in a limo?," asked Jason Botolino, to which Tierney replied that he is "not a limousine guy."

"It's the people's house," he said with a grin.

And it's that mindset Tierney is hoping to bring to the newest legislative session. Asitdown conversation with him indicated he's mindful of the fact that he did not carry Billerica in his latest election, and that he's fully aware the hot political climate inside the Beltway is not cooling anytime soon. Tisei bested him in this town by more than 1,000 votes.

"I think about all the towns, I am who I am," he said. "I research the issues and listen to the people and try to make the best decisions I can.

"If I can't explain it to people, then shame on me."

Tierney also said he's glad the election is over yet knows the tea party still views him as a marked man.

"I've always loved the job more than the campaigns," he said, but added that the ultaconservative views held by tea-party-backed Republicans has made it tough to do business in Washington.

He recalled a conversation with one tea party member who he had actually worked with to file a bill. Tierney said he asked if that particular member would be interested in filing another one.

"His response was that if he did another bill with someone from Massachusetts, he'd get in trouble," said Tierney.

U.S. Rep John Tierney, right, gets a tour of the Parker School in Billerica from Principal Russell Marino, who s showing the congressman the music room. Sun/David H. Brow

"And my response was that if I did another bill with a South Carolina person, I'd be just fine as long as the bill was good."

Tierney added that some colleagues on the other side of the aisle won't even be seen with the president, for fear of a photo. The negativity, he said, has felt "almost palpable."

But business still must be done. As for the debt ceiling, Tierney is not hesitant to say that it's been "purely political." He argued that it isn't a budget issue, since "the weird thing is that the people who have been complaining the most about not raising the debt are the ones who voted first to create the debt."

That includes votes to go to war in Iraq and votes to add prescription drug coverage to Medicare without first negotiating lower prices from pharmaceutical companies, he noted.

He said the latest issue, giving women the go-ahead to fight on the front lines, has generated little buzz since women have already been fighting in wars overseas. He pointed out that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have not exactly been fought on front lines.

"It's tough to say which is the front line and which isn't."

As for a woman suddenly becoming Massachusetts' senior senator, assuming longtime Sen. John Kerry is sworn in as the next U.S. secretary of state, Tierney said he's not worrying about the state losing any cachet. Relations between the state's House and Senate delegation are strong, he said, and pointed to senators like California's Barbara Boxer and Iowa's Tom Harkin as allies.

He's a big fan of newcomer Elizabeth Warren.

"She's very smart and will certainly step up," he said.

Tierney also isn't concerned with any feelings being hurt over his party's rush to back fellow U.S. Rep. Ed Markey in a potential special election this June.

"If anybody is upset at somebody being first then maybe they're upset that they didn't think to be first," he said.

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